Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2023 Mercedes GLB

Both the Q7 and GLB have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLB’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The GLB doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Q7 offers an optional backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the GLB.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q7 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The GLB doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Q7’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLB.

Both the Q7 and the GLB have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Audi Q7 weighs 893 to 1444 pounds more than the Mercedes GLB. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q7 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 235 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLB’s (12 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q7’s reliability 26 points higher than the GLB.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 18 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (261 vs. 221) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 114 more horsepower (335 vs. 221) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7 55 TFSI’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The GLB doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q7 has 6.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (22.5 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Q7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the GLB:

The Q7’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the GLB are solid, not vented.

The Q7 stops shorter than the GLB:

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the GLB (255/55R19 vs. 235/55R18). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLB (285/45R20 vs. 235/55R18).

The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLB’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the GLB. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the GLB.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 6.5 inches longer than on the GLB (117.9 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than on the GLB.

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the GLB 250 4MATIC pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the GLB 250 4MATIC (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 1.8 inches higher than on the GLB (9.7 vs. 7.9 inches).

The Q7 has .6 inches more front legroom, 3.6 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear legroom, 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, .1 inches more third row legroom and 5.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the GLB.

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLB.

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the GLB’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Q7’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Q7 has a 4400 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

The engine in the Q7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the GLB. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

The Q7 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The GLB doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GLB’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the Q7’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GLB’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GLB doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The GLB doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q7 has standard extendable sun visors. The GLB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLB doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Q7 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the GLB. The Q7 also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the GLB.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLB’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q7, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLB isn't recommended.